Courtesy of Gerald Wimalasena & Palitha Manchanayake
The Wat Dhamma Buddha Monastery s located at Wiseman’s Ferry in New South Wales where the bush fires raged recently.
A Note from Gerald Wimalasena, 16 January 2020
“Forest fires in Australia … This Dhamma Buddhist monastery is the only unburned one. Its position in the middle of the forest.”
An Email Note from Palitha Manchanayake, January 2020: “I wanted to find out where it is, and realized that it is ‘Wat Buddha Dhamma Monastery’ of Wiseman’s Ferry in NSW. I have been there once in the late ‘80’s when Sister Ayya Khema was in charge of it. Before that it was started around 1980 by Ven. Khanthipalo whom I have seen and listened to. He was an English monk who later gave up robes.
Certainly, it could be taken as a miracle when you see these pictures.
Also, I have seen some pictures of isolated Buddha Statues being left out unharmed after the Tsunami along the south coast of SL.
Then I thought it would have been a pure coincidence. But for it to repeat like this, we could call it a ‘Miracle’ ……………….. Regards ………… Palitha
The trees around and about were also hardly damaged. Perhaps miraculous…..attributable to which source of intervention? Just wondered. The Gautama’s teaching did not usually allow for such fantastic phenomena as necessary or relevant in the context of existence.
This is not the first occasion where such fires have not caused any damage to Buddhist Monasteries midst raging forest fires. Ajahn Brahm’s Monastery north of Perth in Serpentine, Western Australia was similarly spared as the fire came to the boundary of the monastery premises and then carried over the buildings on to the forest on the other side where it continued to burn. A news reporter flying overhead in a helicopter had captured the picture of the fire leaping over the monastery which he titled as a ‘Buddhist Miracle’. Not too long ago, fires rushing downhill towards the Abhayagiri Monastery in San Francisco, California, turned around at the boundary of the monastery and went back up the mountain, which the fire fighters said was something they had not witnessed before. Places where people practice the Noble Dhamma apparently are protected by the force of mental purity prevailing at such locations perhaps through the intervention of Devas (deities) who could change the course of natural disasters threatening such places.
Mahinda Gunasekera
Well said, Mahinda!!!!
A NOTE fromREX KELLAR, 14 jUNE 2020: “Mike, … we went their with Jans Mother ….. She had to take her shoes 👞 off. There were a lot of SL there . There was a Hour tour around the property with beautiful views and then lunch. We did not go but looked around. Glad it was saved.
Cheers
Rexie
EMAIL NOTE FROM REX KELLAR 13 JUNE 2020: “Mike, we went their with Jans Mother. She had to take her shoes 👞 off. There were a lot of SL there . There was a Hour tour around the property with beautiful views and then lunch. We did not go but looked around. Glad it was saved.
Cheers Rexie”